


Freedom's Journey

by tangelotime



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Multi, long haul personal development/friendship fic, this is a slow burn, this is not a shipping fic but there will be some shipping in it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-06 05:20:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8736379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangelotime/pseuds/tangelotime
Summary: Tasked by the Vishkar Corp. to infiltrate the budding re-organization of Overwatch, Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani instead  discovers a worldwide conspiracy, tries to define personal autonomy, and learns about the meaning of friendship.





	1. Chapter 1

The night was a surprisingly friendly one- the weather was good, the piñata-filled streets were clear of people, and the driver of the payload was patient enough to not dislodge McCree from his perch on top of the truck by putting the pedal to the metal. 

He took a long drag of the cigar and blew a curl of smoke into the sky. Junkrat, lying sprawled on his side, batted at the smoke like some sort of filthy cat. 

“Easy night tonight, ey?” The absurd twig of a man held his frag launcher at a right angle and shot grenades off into their surroundings without sparing them a glance. 

Junkrat wasn’t worried about collateral damage. The bouncing grenades would give them coverage on their flank and, Overwatch, even in its heyday, wasn't exactly known for avoiding extra destruction. He was much more interested in fluttering his eyelashes at the beautiful cowboy who wasn't even looking. 

“Normally we got all sorts doin’ their damndest to stick their bullets in our skulls,” Junkrat said, rolling onto his back so he could slam another handful of grenades into his weapon and flutter his lashes from a different angle. 

“Well I’m not complaining,” said Mercy. The shapes of their roaming teammates darted this way and that way on the thin screen attached to her visor. Tracer and D.Va scouted up ahead of them, vitals as green as they were when they left their base. Still, she stood on the back of the truck, alert, with her Caduceus staff at ready. Missions had fallen apart in very little time before. “It’s nice to have a mission where I don’t have to chase after anyone for healing for once.” 

“Well I wouldn't mind if I had someone to blow to kingdom come,” Junkrat complained. “This is right boring, mate.”

“It’s odd though, don’t ya think?” McCree gestured to the streets with the stub of his burning cigar. “Ye’d think we'd at least have to deal with bounty hunters but as far as I can see we’re alone.”

“Not entirely, love!” Tracer’s voice came crackling over the comms. 

“What? Where?” Junkrat shot up, head twitching towards every sign of movement. 

“Not where you lot are,” Tracer explained. “I keep seeing’ this figure outta the corner of my eye, but every time I give chase, it disappears.”

“I've seen it too,” D.va confirmed. “It stays out of our direct line of sight but I got the footage. We can look it over when we get back.”

“Ya think that shadow is what spooked that nutty Lumi-suit into calling us into the mix?” Junkrat folded his legs underneath him, casually tossing his frag launcher onto his lap. “What's it we were deliverin’ again?”

“Some sort of battery,” McCree replied, “For the fancy light-up pyramid,” just as Mercy sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. 

“At any rate,” she said. “Whoever it is doesn't seem to be interested in engaging. Don't go so far as to get drawn into an ambush.”

“Oh don't worry, love!” Tracer exclaimed. “That's what the rewind button is- woah!”

There was the crackle of a laser across the comm and the sound of Tracer’s blasters. All of a sudden Tracer blinked yellow on Mercy’s visor before she disappeared and came back green.

“She got hit, but she rewound,” she announced, leaping to the top of the payload for a better vantage point. McCree slid off the top of the truck, gun already twirling in his fingers as Junkrat climbed to his feet, weapon at ready and balanced precariously on the top of the payload. 

Tracer’s green figure blinked away from them and almost instantly turned yellow again. More shots fired over the comm before she rewound again. 

“She's re-engaging,” Mercy said. “D.Va, status?”

“White suits headed our way! They're chasing someone- a woman in blue but she's got the same kind of weaponry as the suits. Do we engage?”

“It's Vishkar!” Tracer piped up, panting. “Those people Lúcio fought!” 

“Enemy of an enemy,” McCree drawled, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Every muscle in his body was tense as a drawn bow though as far as he could see, the night was calm. Junkrat smacked his frag launcher impatiently, the same tension sending him vibrating like so many cups of caffeine. 

“Then we assist the woman,” Mercy said with a nod, watching as D.Va’s blob of a mech flew into the fray, then back out. “Our priority is still our payload. It does not appear that Vishkar has an interest in the battery but be careful. Don't forget about the shadow.” 

The driver leaned out of the window, a scruffy woman who had greeted them without a trace of reverence. 

“Ey, what's going on?” she asked. “We got our trouble headed our way?”

“Might not be our trouble but it's definitely headed our way,” McCree said with a nod. “Jes’ keep your head down if we start shootin’.” She nodded and slid back inside. 

“Hold on!” they heard D.Va yell. Mercy sucked her breath in between her teeth, watching the color of D.Va’s mech grow darker as she boosted back towards the payload. 

“I've headed them off for a bit,” Tracer shouted through the comms. “Retreating now, prepare for combat!”

The moment they rounded the corner, Mercy was already on her way, flying towards D.Va and the woman clutching onto her like the angel she styled herself after. 

Together they flew back to the payload, Mercy’s healing stream already patching up the mech. The stranger held onto one of the mech’s stubby arms, her heels struggling to find purchase against its legs. Long black hair flowed out behind from where it was tucked under her headset. 

There was a long bloody scrape that carved up the dark skin of the arm that had hooked onto DV.a’s mech, a strange looking weapon clutched in her hanging hand. Her other arm, a white prosthetic, was clutched a plain manilla folder close to her chest. 

The strange woman released D.Va as they approached, landing gracefully. When she straightened, she glanced between McCree and Junkrat, looking wary, her yellow eyes guarded. 

McCree nodded, lifting the brim of his hat. Didn’t do any harm to show a lady some courtesy, and it looked like she was in a bit of a rough spot. He didn’t take her suspicion to heart. He was after all, an international criminal with a very large bounty. 

Junkrat winked and pointed a finger gun at her. The new lady looked way too uptight, like most suits were. Who knows, maybe she was a suit, only she got in trouble of some sort with the rest of her kind. 

The woman only had a moment to wrinkle her nose before Mercy glided towards her. The yellow beam of her Caduceus staff snapped to her, and she watched, eyes wide as the wound on her arm sealed up. It was always a pleasure to see people react to her work, and if she was being honest with herself, she really did enjoy the dramatics of it.

“Now,” Mercy said, gliding gently down with the wings of her Valkyrie suit spread wide. “Tell us what is going on, before we help you any further.” 

The woman looked her straight in the eyes, fixed so determinedly on Mercy was sure it was an act of will to do so. 

“Please,” she said. “My name is Satya Vaswani. I need your help.”


	2. Prepare for Take Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satya receives a new mission.

There was a unique sort of pleasure in walking halls she had designed. Satya could feel her head lift higher as she walked through the long elegant hall, passed the dimensions she had calculated on the fly, the seemingly delicate arches and columns she had spun into existence with her fellow architects. Sanjay, walking next to her, looked up at the ceiling. 

“You’re not nervous?” he asked. “You’ve met Bhavin Vishkar before right?” 

Satya nodded. “He meets with the top architects regularly,” she said. “He takes great pains to bring a personal touch to Vishkar. He is a kind man.” She looked over at Sanjay, who held his arms stiff at his side, staring straight up. “Are you?” 

He looked over at her, a rueful smile on his face. “I suppose I am,” he said. “I’ve received direct orders from him before but I’m not so important that I’ve warranted a personal visit. And being summoned like this?” He shook his head. “Definitely never.” 

“I’ve heard of the other architects being summoned like this before,” Satya said. “I suppose this means I have special orders this time.” She loved her regular work, but having a special challenge, just for her, was an electrifying thought. 

“Whatever it is, I hope it’s good,” Sanjay grumbled, as they drew closer to the elevator. The carriage was waiting for them when they arrived, and Satya stepped inside. There were sixty-seven floors in this building and they were headed to the top. If the mechanics were all working correctly, then they should arrive in nineteen seconds. 

Sanjay pushed the button for the top floor and the doors closed. Satya held her breath as she counted, watching the numbers tick up to sixty seven. It was nineteen seconds exactly. Perfect. 

The elevator opened up into a suite of offices, each of them belonging to a high-ranking official of the company. Directly opposite to the elevator was Mr. Vishkar’s office, whose door was already open. Mr. Vishkar himself, stood in the threshold and held the door open for them. 

“Hello Ms. Vaswani, Mr. Korpal,” he said. Bhavin Vishkar was not a young man. He was a frail looking sort, thin and balding. Satya hurried over, extending a hand to shake. 

“Mr. Vishkar!” she said, remembering to smile. “Please, you did not have to hold the door open for us.”

He took her hand and shook it heartily. “Nonsense,” he said. “It’s a common courtesy when you have taken all this time and trouble to come see me at my request. Come in!”

Satya glanced back at Sanjay, who was normally so much more outspoken that she was. He had somewhat of a dumbstruck look on his face and she couldn’t help but chuckle. She had told him that their boss was a kind man. 

Mr. Vishkar released her hand and made his way back over to his desk. His office was a large one, a solid-looking desk made of hard light in the middle. Two seats lay ready for them in front of it, holding cloth cushions. One corner held a small coffee table with couches, a bookshelf next to it all. The wall behind him was glass, leading out onto a balcony that looked over the city of Utopaea. It was a beautiful place to be. Satya had been here once before. She loved the balcony that let her see all the handiwork that had gone into the city. 

“Please, sit down,”Mr. Vishkar said. 

Satya took a seat, looking back over at Sanjay to make sure he had recovered. He coughed awkwardly into a fist and sat down next to her. 

“I’ve brought you here for a very important task,” Mr. Vishkar said. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the return of Overwatch.” 

Satya nodded, confused. This was not the direction she had expected this conversation to turn. Members of the old Overwatch had been sighted together, fighting Talon and omnic incursions. One of them, the gorilla had eventually sent out a statement that they had returned, in defiance of the Petras Act, sending the UN into an uproar. The politics of the situation weren’t entirely beyond her, but she would not have thought it held interest to Vishkar. 

“I want you to infiltrate their organization,” he said. “Not only is it imperative for us to keep an eye on their movements and initiatives, there have been rumors that Lúcio Correia de Santos has joined their number. We’ve also confirmed that Dr. Angela Ziegler and Torbjörn Lindholm have returned to them,” he said. “They and that gorilla of theirs have shown to have innovative and promising research that may benefit us. ”

Satya’s jaw dropped open. She could not have heard right.

“Respectfully, sir,” Sanjay began. “Satya doesn’t have the temperament for an assignment like this. You’d be completely wasting her talents.”

It was his smoothest, most polished voice. It was an odd feeling to see Sanjay pitch this like it was a business proposal when she considered Mr. Vishkar to almost be a friend. At the same time, however, she could not disagree with what he was saying.

“Why don’t you send her with the Korea mission? That’s the sort of campaign that would best suit her. Send Jayash or Mitul instead.”

Mr. Vishkar looked at him, then back at her. 

“Ms. Vaswani, I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter,” he said. 

Flustered, Satya looked down. “I.. I have to agree with Sanjay,” she said. “Espionage is not something I would list among my talents. I have a difficult enough time relating to my fellow architects, much less the sort of rabble that Overwatch seems recruit. Lúcio already knows my face and would not trust me in the slightest.” 

She had been looking forward to a challenge, but she could have hardly expected one of this caliber. Satya glanced back up at Mr. Vishkar. He still had a kindly smile on his face, which eased some of the fluster. 

“Let me explain to you then,” he said, “as to why I chose you out of all my architects to do this, and perhaps you’ll see it my way. It is a rather dangerous mission, so I won’t force you to do it if you don’t feel up to it.” 

Satya nodded. 

“Our architects have a certain sort of culture to them,” he began. “Most of them are very immersed into it, but you are an exception, Ms. Vaswani.”

She nodded again, unsure of where this was going. The rest of the architects were a close knit family, competing, sharing, always in pursuit of new ideas. Somehow, she had been left behind in the making of that family, always on the outer edge. It wasn’t as though the rest of the architects treated her badly. She simply did not fit, like a puzzle piece that been warped in the rain. 

It was not a thought that bothered her anymore. She was different yes, but it was a difference that allowed her to work wonders with her art. Those shining light constructs were central to her life. And besides, she had Sanjay. 

“It is the culture of the architects that will prevent them from blending in with the rest of Overwatch,” he said. “They are rather inflexible, and stubborn. Even if they are allowed into the organization they will not be trusted as a teammate.

“When I was a younger man, I visited one of their watchpoints. It was a military organization, yes, but they were always a motley collection. Now, even more so. For standing out here, you will fit in even more so. Even if you don’t fit in, you have an excuse.” 

Satya pressed her lips together as a strange sort of chill settled in her chest.

“You mean because I am autistic,” she says. “Am I supposed to charge into their nearest base, tell them about my particular neurodivergences and expect them to accept me?”

“Well no, of course not,” Mr. Vishkar said. “I expect you will be underestimated, which will work to your advantage. As for infiltration, we have the rough outlines of a plan, but we do need your consent to fill out the details. But you, my dear, have proven more than anyone else that you can adapt. It is part of what makes you such a brilliant architect. I will not pick another person to take your place, because I believe you are the only one capable of doing this job.”

Still unsure, Satya glanced at Sanjay, who had his arms crossed, staring intently at Mr. Vishkar. 

“Sanjay, what do you think?” she asked. He didn’t look at her, keeping his gaze fixed on their boss. “Do what you think is right, Satya,” he replied evenly. 

Mr. Vishkar nodded. 

“Wise of you to consult your supervisor but this is your choice to be in the field,” he said. “The mission is indefinite, but of utmost importance.”

Satya thought about it. She supposed Mr. Vishkar was correct in his estimation of her abilities. Attempting to fit in with yet another group of people would not be new to her, like she suspected it would be with some of her fellow architects. Jayash had a temper problem and Mitul held onto long simmering grudges. 

It wasn’t as though she didn’t like things in a particular sort of way, but she was used to everything being out of place, more so than the other architects. 

And it was an important mission. She hadn’t thought so at first, but keeping an eye on the burgeoning business with Overwatch, with its potential to upset global markets and political alliances, would be vital to Vishkar keeping ahead of the game. 

After a long pause, Satya nodded. 

“I will do it,” she said. 

Mr. Vishkar’s face immediately brightened. “Excellent! You have done us a great service, Satya. Here is the file I have prepared so far. Please look over it and get back to me with whatever feedback you desire.” 

He handed over a thick manila folder, which she accepted with both hands. 

“I will do my best, Mr. Vishkar,” she said, nodding and standing. Sanjay stood, but did not say a word as they left. 

He did not look at her, or speak with her at all down the elevator, or in the lobby. Satya frowned, concerned. Was he upset with her for taking the mission? He wasn’t pleased that she had received it, that was for certain. 

When they had left the building, Satya grabbed his elbow, pulling him so that he would turn to face her. 

“Sanjay, are you upset with me?” she asked. “You have to tell me.”

He looked down at her, his brow creased, his frown gentle. 

“I'm not upset with you,” he said finally. “I'm just worried.”

Satya let her hand fall from his arm. “I believe this is my most difficult mission yet.”

Sanjay nodded slowly. “Yes,” he said, stepping forward to put a hand on her shoulder. “You're very brave, Symmetra. I will be there with you every step of the way.”


	3. Take Off

Winston was not a tidy person. His “office” if you could even call it that was a mess. His papers were scattered all over the floor, his chalk board only half cleaned, and a pile of empty peanut butter jars in the corner. There was a tire suspended from the ceiling, for heaven’s sake.

He didn't even have a proper desk, so Satya had drawn up a small one, with along with extra seats for herself, Angela “Mercy” Ziegler, and the infamous Jesse McCree.

“That's it then?” McCree asked. “Vishkar covers up a bunch of failed safety tests and that's enough for you to ditch and run?” He tossed his copy of the papers onto the desk, letting them slide.

Satya narrowed her eyes as she watched the folder near the edge. The battery fault wasn't real, of course, but if it was his flippancy would kill people. She reached over and collected them, putting them back into order and handing it back to McCree with a severe look.

“It would be a disaster,” she said. “If distributed widely enough, a battery fault of that proportion would cost people their lives. I will not put innocent people at risk for Vishkar’s inflated ego.”

“Good job,” Sanjay whispered in her ear. “Overwatch will empathize with that anger. They're testing you.”

“Yes, but why us?” Winston asked. “We're hardly the people to go to if you want to regulate batteries.”

He grinned at Mercy, who chuckled, laughing at some private joke.

“I was looking for somewhere safe,” she said, shaking her head. “Vishkar has influence in many places. You saw they were willing to kill to keep their reputation.”  
She rubbed the healing tissue on her arm subconsciously. It had been planned, of course, but it had hurt more than she expected.

“I wasn't sure where I could go until I intercepted a communication that you would be in Dorado.”

The three exchanged glances. Satya instantly tensed up. Were they onto her?

“Where did you get this communication from?” Mercy asked.

“I intercepted an internal Vishkar memo,” she replied. “I'm not sure where the source of the information came from.”

“Funny how you come to us with faulty battery plans when we were escorting a battery for Lumérico,” McCree said.

Satya blinked, surprised. “That was a battery?” She hadn't been able to identify the large contraption in the back of the truck, even as they had hauled it into Lumérico’s facilities.

“Good, very good,” Sanjay whispered in her ear. Satya gave him the tiniest of nods. It wasn't even a lie.

The cowboy shrugged and threw his hands up in the air. “Well I don't see any reason she can't stay.”

Mercy looked at him, exasperated. “I don't know why we brought you, Jesse. You also recruited those two junkers as well, and they have been nothing but trouble.”

McCree shrugged. “The longer they’re here with us, the less time they’re out their blowin’ up whatever it is they like,” he said. “But I gotta admit they’re a bigger handful than expected.”

Winston took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“We can discuss what we can do with the junkers,” he said. “But your point stands. Satya here can stay as long as she needs to get this battery business cleared up.”

Satya breathed a sigh of relief she didn't have to fake.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you very much. If there is anyway I can be of assistance, I am-”

“Was,” Sanjay whispered in her ear. She hesitated.

“-was one of Vishkar’s top architects-”

Winston cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Yes, we are aware of your capabilities. Your call sign was Symmetra, right?”

She bit her lip and nodded.

“There are those among us who aren't, uh, thrilled exactly to see you,” he said. “I might tread lightly while you are here.”  
Satya nodded, frowning.

“You're talking about Lúcio,” she said. “There was a rumor that he joined your ranks.”

“Yes, and he is a valued member of our organization,” Winston emphasized. “You are a guest here and I expect you to treat him with respect.”  
She nodded stiffly.

“Then I shall expect the same from him,” she said and stood. “If you could show me to a room I can use-”

“You can take room B24,” said Mercy, standing and stretching. “I'll let Athena know.”

“I'll show her the way,” said McCree, jumping to his feet. He grinned at her, tipping the brim of his hat and offering her his arm.

Satya blinked, somewhat taken aback, hesitating for a moment before taking his arm. She couldn't help glance back at the other two Overwatch members, who had already moved on to other things, before following McCree to her new room.

“I apologize for givin’ you such a hard time at the table,” he said. “I didn't mean nothin’ by it. I figure it's a right confusin’ time for you right now. It ain't easy to do the right thing if it means turnin’ on those you care about.”

“He sounds as though he has personal experience with the matter,” noted Sanjay. “Stay soft and sad.”

“No,” Satya said, looking away. “It was not easy.”

“Nearly got you killed,” he added.

She wasn't sure what to say to that, except maybe the truth.

“I thought you didn't like me,” she said. “If all you've heard of me is from Lúcio I expected a colder welcome.”

McCree chuckled as he took her along the winding halls of the watchpoint. “You look like y’turned a new leaf and I'm all about second chances,” he said. “Lúcio has been through a lot but he’s a good kid. He’ll forgive you in time.”

“He's going to have more to forgive you for,” Sanjay said with a chuckle. “Remember, you're here to disable his tech as well.”  
Satya felt a twinge of guilt, before she shook it off. It was for the greater good.

Befriending Lúcio was not a welcoming idea. She was sure that he would rebuff any overtures of friendship she might make and she still remembered the last time he tried to push her off a balcony in Río. It was hardly a grounds for friendship.

Still, she did know him- heard him make announcements through the sonic technology he had stolen, saw him lead the charge when Vishkar had been forced to retreat. She was sure he was similarly aware of her, seeing how she had been head architect of the Río project. She was sure that the Satya she was supposed to be, the one concerned about Vishkar’s fake batteries, would still consider him a ruffian upstart.

She was not looking forward to meeting him.

“Well here we are!” McCree exclaimed. Satya blinked up with a start. They were in front of a room marked B24. She must have been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize the passing time.

“Hey Athena,” he continued, looking at the door. Satya glanced around, trying to find who he was talking to. As far as she could see, they were alone. Perhaps he was also on a comm set.

“This here is Satya Vaswani,” he said. “The doc probably already told you ‘bout her.”

“She did,” a smooth female voice said out of nowhere. Satya jumped. “Welcome to Overwatch, Ms. Vaswani.”

The door swung open without anyone touching it to reveal a rather basic room, with a bed, desk, and bathroom. It was sparsely decorated, an empty vase on the bed stand, an empty picture frame on the wall.

“Well, that's a bit more dreary than I remembered,” McCree said cheerily. “You can do what you want with it. I'm sure you got somethin’ neat in that fancy architect kit of yours.”

“What was that voice?” she asked, stepping into the room and looking around. It could use some improvement and her fingers itched to fix it.

“Oh her?” McCree flicked the brim of his hat. “Oh that's just Athena. She's the AI in charge of security in this place.”

“Oh now that’s interesting,” Sanjay said. “Curious place to find one of those.”

Satya would not have expected to find one here with Overwatch of all places, an organization that was famous for taking down omnic insurrections. Perhaps they captured one and tamed it.

“She... She doesn't have eyes and ears inside the rooms, does she?” she asked, looking for cameras. If there was an AI listening in on her, she wouldn't be able to talk to Sanjay.

“Naw,” McCree replied. “We take privacy seriously here at Overwatch.”

Satya nodded. “Good,” she said.

“We can't trust his word,” Sanjay said. “Just talk to me in Telugu. I doubt anyone speaks our native tongue here.”

McCree shifted at from foot to foot, jingling his spurs. “Well if that's all, I'll be letting you get settled in,” he said.

“And remember to smile and say thank you,” Sanjay said. “Otherwise he’ll feel you’re cold.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, embarrassed. She had forgotten that particular nicety in her hurry to be alone. She hurried back to the door so she could face him, even as she felt her cheeks flush. “Thank you, McCree,” she said, not quite meeting him in the eye. “I appreciate your kindness. It… it means a lot.”

He visibly perked up, straightening his back and grinning down at her. “It's not a problem, darlin’,” he said. “Let me know if y’need anythin’.”

With a wave, he strolled back down the hall, and Satya sighed with relief, closing the door behind her.

“That was a lot, huh?” Sanjay said. “How are you doing?”

Satya let herself close her eyes and breathe. It was too much, the new role, the new people, new places, the strange new things, old routines she'd have to abandon, new ones she'd have to create. A web of exhaustion grew in her chest, its sticky fingers clinging to every word she spoke. She wanted solitude, and to do what she did best.  
There were many improvements she could make to this room, several of them within reason. She would not destroy the infrastructure of the room she was a guest in, but if she was to stay here, she would make it her own.

“If you wouldn't mind, Sanjay,” she said. “I would like to be alone. I do not foresee that I will need your assistance in the near future.”

“Of course. You know how to reach me.”

With that, Satya stripped off her visor and cast it onto the bed, shaking her hair free of its constraints.

Raising the prosthetic that powered her constructions, she began to build.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a short chapter, but the next one is gonna be longer.


	4. Prepare for Turbulence

Sleep cast a heavy net over her head that did not lighten when Satya woke to a knock on her door. 

“Satya? Are you in there?” The voice belonged to Mercy. She squeezed her eyes more firmly shut and clutched the blankets over her head. If she didn't answer the door, perhaps Mercy would go away. 

Sleep did not come easily last night, despite the fact she had slept in a bed of her own making. Some tension would not stop clinging to her shoulders and she woke often during the night. 

“I'm coming,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. She grabbed her visor and crammed it on her head so she could perhaps hide how sleepy she probably still looked. She slept in a long shift so she slipped on a pair of sweatpants and opened the door.

“Good morning Satya." Sanjay's voice startled her as it buzzed through the headset. “Someone at the door?”

Satya squinted through the peephole in the door to see Mercy standing there with her hands on her hips. She was no longer in her Valkyrie suit, but nurses’ clothes and a doctor’s coat.

“Yes,” she murmured. “I'm not sure what she wants.”

She opened the door, squinting at the bright light even with her visor on. “Yes?”

“What is all this in the hall?” Mercy asked, pointing at the pile of furniture on either side of the door.

“It wouldn't fit,” Satya said. “I tried to make sure it wouldn't be in the way.”

Mercy remained speechless.

“Oh Satya, what did you do?” Sanjay asked.

“I didn't change anything structurally," she protested, feeling a bit defensive.

“And these?” Mercy held up one of the lightbulbs Satya had placed carefully on the floor.

“They were fluorescent!” Satya said. She was starting to think she had done something wrong. “How old is this watchpoint if you're using fluorescent lightbulbs?”

“What will you do for light?” Mercy said, as though it was a good argument. Satya suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

“They're simple enough to make,” she said.

Mercy’s eyebrows shot up.

“You make lightbulbs?” she asked. “I thought you were an architect.”

Satya groaned, leaning against the door frame. “It’s just an apprentice’s exercise," she said shortly.

Mercy frowned, confused. "But I thought you were an architect."

"It's hard  _light_ ," she replied. 

“So when you buy Vishkar’s plasma lightbulbs, they’re-”

“Student projects, yes.”

“Would you mind demonstrating for me?” Mercy asked, leaning forward.

Satya imagined her stare as a disintegrating beam, willing the still-eager looking doctor to go away. 

“Do it,” Sanjay said. “Demonstrate trust.”

“Fine,” she said, as much to him as Mercy. She straightened, and stood properly, with one leg placed before the other. 

Satya brought up her prosthetic arm, generating a ball of light to manipulate. With a twirl of her fingers, she spun it, pulling the edges of the ball up, half forming a delicate sphere.

She pulled some of the excess light globbed at the bottom, and plopped it into the center of the sphere where it glowed quietly. With the blueprint of a plasma transformer in her mind, Satya pulled it into existence at the top of the sphere before sealing it off.

She gave the orb another spin, pulling the end of a sphere into a corkscrew. Finished, she handed the lightbulb to Mercy, who took it with wide eyes.

“It was like dancing,” she murmured, lifting the bulb up so she could see the ball of light inside move.

“I am unusual in that respect,” Satya said shortly. “I tend to draw on Bharatanatyam in my work.”

Mercy paused, brow furrowed. “I'm sorry,” she said. “What's Bara-baratyan-”

“Bharatanatyam,” she replied. “It's a form of traditional Indian dance." Slamming the door in Mercy's face would be rude. Telling her to go away would be rude, but she could definitely still do it politely. 

“Elaborate,” Sanjay prompted. “She's curious.”

Satya bit her lip and resisted the urge to pull the visor off her face and throw it across the room.

“Excuse me, Dr. Ziegler,” she said instead. “I'm afraid I am not quite awake enough for an entire conversation.”

“Oh!” Mercy visibly reddened. “I'm sorry, I let my curiosity get the better of me. I'm sure there will be time for conversations later. I would be interested in looking into applications of hard light technology in medicine, if you’d oblige.” 

“This is excellent!” Sanjay exclaimed. “Remember, one of your mission objectives is to look into Dr. Ziegler’s research.”

Well at least one of them was excited. “Of course,” she said, and slammed the door shut, returning her room to blessed darkness. 

“Don’t be rude, Satya,” Sanjay said. “It’s ten in the morning where you are. You should be up by now.”

“And yet I am very tired,” she replied acidly. “Good night, Sanjay.”

Removing the visor, she slammed it onto her new night table and collapsed back into bed.

\---

When Satya woke up again, she woke up embarrassed.

The clock on her dresser informed her she had slept well into the afternoon, and she had the uncomfortably clear memory of blowing off Sanjay and slamming a door into Mercy’s face. She felt nominally well rested, at least more than she did earlier, and so she hurried through her morning routine, making the bed, showering, brushing her teeth and hair, and changing into her usual clothes.

When everything was put in place, when she was dressed, Satya picked up her headset. It was a sturdy old thing, much more than its delicate appearance belied. It had always been a comforting object- no matter how far she was away from home it was her connection to Utopaea. The visor provided information for building and shade, pressure, and noise in case she became overstimulated.

Now it was slightly embarrassing to put on. Opening up that connection home meant she'd have to apologize to Sanjay, but obviously, she had to eat a little crow to keep moving on.

Taking a deep breath, Satya put it on.

“Sanjay?” she said, sitting back on her bed. “Are you there?”

There was no response. Satya bit her lip and forced herself to calm back down. Sanjay would not abandon her here for something as silly as getting snapped at. In the meantime, she would go make sure she did not too terribly offend Mercy. Satya gave herself another once over to make sure that she was all in order before she stepped back out of her room.

To her surprise, the hallways were clear of the furniture she had left lining them. It was most likely Mercy’s doing. She would have to thank her on top of the apology. But first, she would have to find her.

The halls of the watchpoint were surprisingly deserted. Droids would sometimes amble past her on one task or another and she stopped one to ask for directions. It answered her in Athena’s voice, something she did not ever think she would get used to. She did, however, find her way to the med bay. As she drew closer to the common area, she started hearing the sounds of other people.

She avoided them, ducking into a hallway as a group of people turned the corner. From her position, she could see a very large white woman with pink hair chatting happily with a much shorter, plump East Asian woman.

“-not a problem. The proton generator is quite-”

They passed without noticing her and Satya couldn’t help sigh with relief. She did not want to meet new people just yet, not while she still had her previous missteps still fresh in her mind. She most definitely did not want to see Lúcio without being prepared for the encounter.

She passed the archway marked with a red cross when she heard people talking. She hesitated a moment, not wanting to interrupt a doctor with her patient, before deciding that she could let Mercy know she was here.

“Excuse me, Dr. Ziegler,” she said, rapping on the wall as she rounded the corner. “I-”

It was not Mercy.

Lúcio and D.Va looked up at her from where they were sitting cross legged on an infirmary bed, leaning over a tablet screen.

Satya froze. She was not prepared for this. Where was Sanjay? If there was a moment for him to suddenly appear it was this one.

Lúcio watched her warily. “Heard you were around,” he said, hardly friendly. “What are you doing here?” D.Va glanced at him, as if surprised, then shot her a rather pointed look.  
Satya drew herself up, prim and proper. She would deal with this surprise professionally.

“I am looking for Mercy,” she said. “What are you doing here? This is an infirmary, not a place to be playing video games.”

Lúcio raised two offended eyebrows.

“Excuse me?” he said acerbically. “I happen to work here. Unlike you. And we are not playing video games.”

Satya immediately shut her mouth with a clack. 

“Christ almighty.” Lúcio threw his hands up in the air and stood up, walking towards her. “You’re just as pompous as I remembered. You Vishkar folk never change.”  
Satya swallowed, a social paralysis catching her words in her throat. She had to fix this.

“C’mon Hana,” he muttered, as he brushed past Satya on the way to the door. “Before she tries to kick me out here too.”

Satya whirled around as he reached for the door.

“Wait!” If he left now she really wouldn’t be able to fix her own missteps. When Lúcio spun around however, she faltered. The look he was giving her was undeniably irritation.

“I apologize,” she managed to say. “My comments were unworthy of you.”

Lúcio squinted at her, as if he was examining a wild creature from afar. The scrutiny made Satya flush and hold her chin higher. This was hardly the first time she had to apologize for offending someone, but it had been a while. The embarrassment stung harder than she remembered.

“I don't know about you, Hana,” Lúcio finally said. “But I barely believed that apology.”

D.Va, with her hands on her hips, blew a pink bubble and watched her was expectantly. Satya shot him a look of indignant disdain.

“What do you mean you don't believe it?” she asked. “Would you rather I get on my knees and grovel?”

Lúcio snorted. “Yeah, preferably! After all the times you tried to kill me, you think you can just waltz in here, my new home, and pretend nothing happened?”

Satya blinked, losing her mental footing again. Why was Lúcio bringing about old grievances to a conversation about new ones?

“You tried to kill me plenty of times too,” she retorted.

“Yeah I remember,” he replied shortly, crossing his arms.

“I was hoping we might put that past behind us,” Satya said with a frown. “I don't see what upsets you so much. After all, you did win.”

Lúcio turned purple. “You don't see what-” he snarled, balling up his fists. Satya took a step back, a hand drifting to the proton projector which hung on her hip.  
He relaxed when she moved, his shoulders moving down as he stepped back too. Some complicated emotion she couldn't decipher flickered across his face.

“What's going on?” Mercy emerged from the back room of the infirmary. A look of realization dawned on her face as she glanced from Satya to Lúcio. He looked down.

“Well, I'm leaving,” he muttered and stalked out of the medbay.

D.Va gave Mercy a nod, jabbing a thumb after him and backing out as well. “I’ll just make sure he's okay.” Satya was very aware of the fact D.Va did not spare her a glance as she turned the corner.

When Mercy looked at her, Satya bit her lip.

“I'm not… entirely sure what just happened,” she admitted. “Lúcio is very upset with me, that much I understand.” If Sanjay was here, he'd be able to tell her what she did wrong.

Mercy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “He is a sensitive young man,” she said. “It doesn't surprise me that you remind him of what he endured at the hands of Vishkar, particularly since you were personally responsible for some of it.” Satya frowned. What she had done to him had been returned in kind. What Vishkar had done had been to try and reform the dirty slums he had called home- provided free housing, order, safety- and he had spit on everything they had done.

Mercy glanced over at her, the look on her face severe.

“Your presence here is a burden on him,” she said. “We’re giving you a place because it's the right thing to do, but perhaps you should avoid him.”

Satya sighed. Mercy was obviously protective of Lúcio. Pushing more on the subject was not going to be productive. It wasn't as though she was entirely wrong either. To say she didn't understand him was an understatement. Interacting with him now might just make things worse.

“Perhaps you are right,” she said. “At any rate, I didn't come to talk about Lúcio.”

Satya paused, looking down at her hands. “This morning- I was inappropriately brusque. I apologize.”

“Oh, don't worry about that, please,” Mercy shook her head. “‘I’ve dealt with much worse. All things considered, you are rather put together.”  
Satya took half a breath, surprised. She glanced at the floor and nodded, then gathered up the courage to keep talking.

“I also wanted to thank you for having the furniture moved from outside my room,” she said. “I do appreciate it. I hope I do not seem ungrateful.”  
Satya felt heat rise in her cheeks as she realized it probably did. She felt painfully out of place here. They had welcomed her here, but she had repaid them by rejecting a furnished room and upsetting their friends.

“I mean-” She jumped in before Mercy could speak, determined to attempt an explanation. “I am sorry, truly. I just wanted a familiar place for myself after so much change. I am also sorry for my behavior with.. Lúcio.”

She could not continue like this, acting like she would at home without thinking. It would lose her what little good will she had garnered,

“Satya,” Mercy said, in a surprisingly gentle voice. “It’s not me you should apologize to, if you really mean it.”

Satya looked up at her, eyebrows raised in shock. “Well yes but-” she began, “That's it? I expected you to be more… upset.”

Mercy gave her a sheepish shrug. “I find myself much more curious than upset,” she said. “It’s not an easy thing for you, being here, and you yourself are rather unexpected. Not to mention your hard light constructs are absolutely astounding. Whatever we have to say about Vishkar, their technology is miraculous. Are your constructs sterile?”

The doctor leaned forward, an eager light in her eyes.

“What’s the finest edge you can create? I assume you can create electronics considering the lightbulb but can you make something more complicated than that?”  
Satya blinked, somewhat taken aback.

“Um,” she said. “Provided I create them somewhere sterile. Very fine but it would be brittle and yes but it is not my specialty. I am an architect not an engineer and I would not be able to design anything more complicated than a lightbulb.”

“Has Vishkar ever looked into hard light applications in the medical field?” Mercy stepped forward and took her prosthetic hand, lifting it up to eye level and examining it closely. She ran her fingers over the edges and tips of her hand and Satya felt her cheeks burn “You could create a sterile environment out of nowhere, a full field kit just by yourself!”

She took a step back, flustered. Mercy blinked up at her, and then turned red.

“Oh sorry!” she exclaimed, straightening. “I've overstepped my boundaries again.”

“It's q-quite alright,” Satya managed, holding her prosthetic back closer to her body. “Please it’s the least I could do considering the favor you are paying me.”  
Mercy shook her head. “I can see very clearly that you’re uncomfortable, Symmetra,” she said, then hesitated. “Though if you could possibly do me a favor?”

Satya nodded. If Mercy wanted her help, gaining trust in the organization would be much easier.

“I'm not exactly used to state of the art facilities these days, and Overwatch doesn't exactly have the international standing it used to. Everything here is just so old. Lúcio and I have been working to update our medical technology but it would be a great help if you could, you know. Try to make some?”

Mercy looked at her, eyes open wide and hopeful. Satya found herself blushing again and coughed into a fist, hoping it would go away.

“I'd be delighted to,” she said. “Please send me any schematics you want. I cannot guarantee it will all work like it's supposed to- I'm not an engineer-” You've said that already, said a voice that sounded suspiciously like Sanjay in her head. “Well I mean I will do my best.”

“Thank you!” Mercy cried, clapping her hands together. “I'll send some as soon as possible but take your time with it. I know you have other work to do.”

Satya nodded before she remembered what Mercy was referring to. “I am not honestly certain who I can go to about this battery issue,” she said. “I will try the official channels but I am afraid they may have already been corrupted.”

Mercy nodded, sympathetic. “Good luck,” she says. “Please, let me know if you need anything.”

Satya nodded. “Of course,” she said. “Thank you for the welcome you've provided me.” A thought occurred to her and she bit her lip and hesitated before asking. “Do you think Lúcio will object to working on the same project as me?”

Mercy grimaced. “Yes,” she said. “I'll try and keep the two of you separate. He should understand we need as much help as possible, no matter where it comes from, but it can be difficult to let such a personal grudge go just like that.”

Satya nodded, with no intention of letting things with lie they way they did. Still, Lúcio was not a blunt force problem. He required a plan.

“Thank you again,” Satya said with a nod. “I won't keep you much longer. I'm sure you have work to be doing.”

Mercy smiled and Satya felt her heart skip a beat.

“As do you I'm sure,” she said. “It was good talking to you.”

Satya nodded again and left. As soon as she made it out of the medbay, she closed her eyes and leaned on the wall beside her, taking a deep breath and sighing with relief.

“Well, that went well,” Sanjay’s voice said in her ear and she jumped, hand on her heart.

“Sanjay!” She sorted through a rush of relief, anger and annoyance. “You're back.”

“I've been back for awhile actually,” he said. “You were doing fine on your own so I didn't want to interrupt.”  
Satya groaned and put her hands over eyes.

“I could have used you earlier,” she whispered. “I screwed up with Lúcio.”

“Already?” She could hear Sanjay sigh across the feed. “What did you do?”

She grimaced. It was painful to think of their encounter, to say the least. “I insulted him to his face,” she said. “I told him he didn't belong in the medbay, but apparently he works here.”

“Is that it?” Sanjay asked. “That seems tame.”

“It was not!” she hissed. “He was upset enough to storm out with the girl, D.Va. I tried to apologize but he just got angrier. I'm not sure what happened.”  
“Well don't talk to him again unless I'm there,” Sanjay said.

“I wasn't planning on it,” Satya said. “I don't understand him at all.”

“You don't have to understand him,” Sanjay said. “Just make him think you do. Apologize and move on.”

“I tried that, Sanjay,” she replied exasperatedly. “It didn't work.”

“Look, if you're so insistent on understanding the street brat ask for help,” Sanjay said. “All these Overwatch people you've gotten on with probably like him better than you anyway. If you ask for help you'll be integrating yourself even more.”

Satya’s thoughts leapt immediately to D.Va, who seemed to know him best. They were similar in age after all. She wondered what the young woman knew about her. It seemed that she may have served as Lúcio's confidant.

“Ask the cowboy maybe,” Sanjay said. “He seems the most eager to let you have a chance.”  
Satya sighed and nodded.

“Alright,” she said. “You're right I'll find him.”

The sun still hung high in the sky as she walked back outside. It was still hot out in the Mediterranean sun, but the sea breeze was quite unlike she was used to. Utopaea could be absolutely sweltering, without much of a breeze to be had. Figuring out how to ventilate the city had been tricky. It had been several days effort of the top architects of Vishkar. Sanjay had no idea, really, why she had been so happy when they figured it out, but he had given them a round of applause and a bottle of champagne.

Sanjay had come back without mentioning her break in professionalism, but it still bothered her.

“Sanjay, I should apologize for my behavior earlier,” she said. “It was rude of me to speak in such way and very unprofessional.”

“What?” Sanjay sounded puzzled. “No Satya, I should apologize. This isn’t exactly a normal mission. It’s going to be 24/7 from here on out which means I’m going to see more unprofessional sides of you, and vice versa. I shouldn’t have pushed you too far.”

Satya wasn't quite sure how much she liked the sound of that. She had worked with Sanjay on so many mission and they had an understanding of how the other ticked. If that was going to change all of a sudden it would be yet another thing to adjust to.

“It'll be fine, Symmetra,” he said, as if sensing her hesitation. “I know this is hard for you but I got your back. No matter what happens.”

Satya hesitated. Trust, she found, was a bit of a process. It required her to take leaps of faith over and over again. But she did trust Sanjay, and so she leapt.  
“Alright,” she said. “I'm counting on you.”

“Good to hear it,” he replied. “Now you've got a cowboy to find.”

The common areas of the watchpoint were only sparsely populated. Once, she was certain, hundreds of people must have lived and worked here. Since she had come, however, she had only seen signs of a handful of people living at the base; those brave enough, lucky enough, stupid enough, to be here. Satya wasn't sure which one of the three she qualified for. Perhaps all three.

The kitchen was empty. There were voices in the lounge but a quick peek showed her the back of Lúcio’s head, in some heated conversation with D.Va. She ducked back out before either one could notice her.

“Are you looking for someone, Ms. Vaswani?” asked a voice and Satya jumped, looking wildly around before realizing it belonged to the AI, Athena.

She coughed into her fist and straightened herself before answering, “Yes, I am. You wouldn't know where Jesse McCree is, would you?”

There was a moment’s pause.

“He is in the practice range,” the AI said. “He is expecting you.”

“Thank you,” Satya said with a nod, rather unsure of the etiquette involved in talking with an AI. “I will be there soon.”

There was no further word from Athena and so Satya headed towards the practice range.

She needed a plan, really. She had been approaching all these conversations with only a general idea of what she wanted to talk about. Should she ask McCree what to do about Lúcio, she should be prepared to ask.

Her thoughts drummed on as she picked different threads of topics and tried to imagine the cowboy’s answer. She simply couldn't understand how Lúcio would want to live in the hovel he called home, she didn't understand how he could so vehemently refuse the help offered, and she did not understand why he held it so personally against her even after she had so publicly rejected Vishkar.

What would McCree say? Would he see through her attempts at understanding as a part of subterfuge? Would he grin and smile and give her a hand? She hoped he could give her the key to understanding that frustrating boy.

She rounded the corner, fists clench tightly at her side, steeling herself to enter the practice range, only to stop short.

At the door, a tall, gangly man had pressed his face against the crack in the door. One of his legs, which had been replaced with a peg, clacked incessantly against the floor as he tapped both legs against the floor, seemingly unable to contain his giggle.

It was the dirty junker man who had been a part of her “rescue.”

‘Junkrat,’ he had introduced himself as.

‘Jamison Fawkes,’ Sanjay had filled in. A recruited criminal from the Australian wasteland, with rumored access to some great treasure. Mr. Vishkar had not been wrong about Overwatch’s eclectic nature.

Satya approached cautiously, unsure as to what he was doing. He did not seem to notice her approach up until she drew up next to him and coughed into her fist.

“Wah!” Junkrat reeled backwards, nearly tumbling to the floor before smacking a prosthetic hand against the wall and his flesh one against his chest. “Blimey, you’re a sneaky little bugger!”

Satya looked up at him from over her visor. “I made no attempt to conceal my approach,” she said. “You were very engrossed with whatever you were watching.”

To her surprise, Junkrat’s face flushed red. She blinked, confused, then reached for the door. A prosthetic hand smacked hers away.

“Whaddaya think you're doing?” Junkrat leaned over her, squinting suspiciously. Satya wrinkled her nose as the rather pungent scent of body odor and burned hair washed over her. Taking a step back, she looked him up and down.

“Who are you to be stopping me?” she asked, mouth curled with disgust. “I have every right to enter into a public area.”

Straightening, Junkrat leaned on the door, grinning down his nose at her. She glowered back, refusing to give an inch to this strange, rude, man just because he was leaning over her.

“Not any more you don't,” he said. “What in there’s got you so hot and bothered anywho?”

“If you must know,” she said, drawing herself up indignantly. “I am looking for Jesse McCree.”

For some reason, the admission made him even angrier. He sneered at her, jutting his chin out and sticking his face into hers.

“Oh, oh, I see how it is,” he said, poking her chest with a gnarled finger. She took a step back, startled.

“You think you can saunter on in here,” he snarled, “With your little damsel in distress act and your pretty little face and steal my man?”

In her ear, Sanjay started to laugh. Satya's jaw dropped open. 

“Excuse me?” she sputtered, unsure of where to begin. “I have no intention of- you and he are- I am _not_ -”

Junkrat raised an eyebrow expectantly, crossing his arms and tapping a finger.

“Get on with it, my dear!” He said in a sing-song voice.

Sanjay was still laughing in the back, what a great help he was. Satya tilted her chin up as she scrambled for her composure. Whatever the junker’s delusion, she had no designs on his romantic life.

“Fine,” she snapped. “I will be ‘getting on with it.’”

She ducked under his arm and slid the door open, walking in without a look behind her.

“Hey! Don’t do that!” Junkrat made a grab for her, but she jumped out of the way. In plain sight of the range, the strange man paled under his layer of dirt and scrambled off to the side. Satya glared at the empty door for a second longer before straightening up and proceeding.

“You know that'll come back for you,” Sanjay said, still chuckling.

“I sure hope not,” Satya murmured. “At least it was entertaining for you.”

Satya stepped forward and peered into the range. The door had opened into a room of supplies thrown haphazardly in piles, broken weapons, old paperwork. The medical kit here was at least shiny and new. Mercy was no doubt responsible for that.

The walls of the room were made of some sort of semi opaque plexiglass through which she could see droids floating around in prearranged patterns. Satya winced as each gunshots rang out in the air, the crack ringing against her skull. A figure rolled across a walkway and fanned bullets into a droid.

It was McCree, missing his hat and his shirt. No wonder Junkrat had been giggling like a maniac. Satya raised a hand and waved.

McCree raised a hand to tilt a hat he wasn't wearing. He waved back, then climbed down from the walkway. He grabbed a cloth hanging from the balcony and used it to wipe the sweat off his forehead and Satya wondered if Junkrat was still watching from the outside.

“Hey there little lady,” he said cheerfully. “Didja need something?”

“Not particularly,” she replied. “I just wanted your advice on a matter that's been-” she paused. “-troubling me.”

“Ah,” McCree found his hat and planted it on his head, grabbing a small pouch from a pile of junk. “Is it-”

Suddenly he stopped and stiffened, the smile dropping off his face. It was as though he was suddenly listening to someone else.

“He probably has a comm unit in his ear,” Sanjay whispered. “Something is happening.”

McCree’s expression changed from jovial to concerned then serious.

“Sorry, mate,” he said, grabbing a clean shirt from a duffel bag on the pile and slipping it on. He clapped her on the shoulder and moved right past her, adjusting his serape. “Duty calls.”

“Follow him,” Sanjay hissed. He hadn't needed to. Satya was already chasing after him one hand outstretched.

“Wait,” she said. “What's happening?” But he was already out the door.

“Don't look too eager!” Sanjay cautioned. Satya took a deep breath and smoothed out her palms on her dress before she strode forward, as professionally as she could. 

As Satya neared the doorway, she heard McCree say- “on, I was just with her-” and nearly ran into him as he doubled back.

“Mercy wants your help,” he said by way of explanation, then grabbed her wrist and started running. The motion jarred her and Satya stumbled, the heels on her feet not exactly meant for running.

“What?” she snapped as she nearly fell, grabbing onto his arm for balance. “What the hell is going on?”

McCree stopped in his tracks and pulled her up to her feet. The trim on his serape brushed against her arm, the sensation running like a shock of lightning over her nerves. Satya jerked away.

“Oh sorry Symmetra,” McCree said, stepping forward and reaching for her again. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

She drew herself up, tucking her arms into each other and glaring at him. “Then explain,” she demanded. 

To his credit, McCree at least looked sheepish, pulling his hat back and rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Y’see,” he began. “A friend of ours got attacked. He’s in critical condition and we don’t have a safe way of movin’ him back to base. Doc wants your help, says you know what she wants.”

Satya took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. This was not what she needed right now.

“This is exactly what you need!” Sanjay said. “It’s perfect for getting your foot in the door.”

Satya took another moment to consider it, even as McCree’s spurs jingled impatiently against the ground. A plan sprouted in her mind as she took a deep breath and nodded.

“I do know what she wants,” she said. “Let’s drop by the medbay first.”

McCree gave her a sigh of relief and a crooked smile.

“Then what are we waiting for?” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THIS WAS POSTED TWO WEEKS LATER THAN I PLANNED. I hope yall enjoyed it anyway, cause stuff is actually about to happen next time!!


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